bates



(No Model'.)

' L. E.. BATES.

MOISTENING-PAD.

,231. 'PatentedOctQ 13, 1891.

//v VEN 70/? WITNESSES %/z% I v l 6 I I! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUISE. BATES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MOlSTENlNG-P'AD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,231, dated October 13, 1891.

Application filed June 11, 1891. Serial No. 395,839. (No model.)

T aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS E. BATES, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Moistening-Pad, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention is in the nature of an 111]: provement in devices for dampening the fingers to facilitatethe counting of bank-bills, for moistening the gummed flaps of envelopes for sealing, for Wetting postage-stamps, and for like uses; arid the invention consists in a dampening-pad constructed in the manner and for the purposes hereinafter shown, described, and claimed.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of my complete device; Fig.2, a bottom view of the inclosingbox, and Fig. 3 a cross-section.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures.

Tellers of banks and others who handle and count bank-notes find the operation greatly facilitated by moistening the fingerends. For this purpose they usually employ a wet sponge. A sponge, however, isobjectionable because it gives off the water too freely, and forthe purposes ot'dampening the flaps of envelopes it is undesirable, as by its use the m ucilage of the envelopes is wiped off.

To produce a dampening device that will obviate the foregoing difficulties, I construct a pad 0 of two pieces of felt, the lower piece 0 being thicker than the upper piece 0' and of a coarser-texture, the upper piece being about a fourth as thick as the lower piece and felted much closer and more compactly than thelowerpiece. These two pieces of felt are cut to any convenient size and the upper piece c secured in a suitable manner to the lower piece 0. The felts then being well moistened with water, they are placed in a .box of a proper size to contain them, the upper felt c projecting above the surface of the box, as in Fig. 1. Now when pressing the ends of the fingers on the felt c the moisture with which both felts are saturated will freely exude from them, not too freely, however, as with a sponge, but sufficiently to moisten well and evenly the fingers. The lower felt, being thicker and coarser, holds the greater part of the water. and discharges it much more freely than does the upper or top felt; but since the water must passthroughthe top felt before it can be used, the closer felting ot' the top piece checks its too free delivery and yields enough merely for the purpose desired.

For moistening the gummed flaps of envelopes it is only necessary to open the flap and press its gummed edge upon the pad, when the moisture will at once dampen the mucilage, in a manner corresponding very closely to inoistening by the tongue.

' It is obvious that the lower felt may be composed of one or more layers.

Having now described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Pat'- ent, the following:

1. A dampening-pad consisting of two or more pieces of felt, the upper piece being'of closer and morecompact texture than the under felt, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In combination, in a dampening device, a pad consisting of two' or more pieces of felt, the upper piece being of closer texture than the other, and a box to contain the pad, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony of the foregoing I have here unto set my hand this 10th day of June, 1891:

LOUIS E. BATES. Vitnesses:

G. M. PLYMPTON, HAROLD BINNEY. 

